1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to interactive multimedia communication networks, such as interactive TV cable systems, that send both broadcast and on-demand features to a number of subscribers, wherein each subscriber's location includes a set-top terminal and a television (TV) set that is connected to the set-top terminal, and wherein each subscriber's location may also include a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) that is connected to the set-top terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
On demand, interactive, television (ITV) systems are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,720 to Hoarty and U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,091 to Hoarty et al, incorporated herein by reference, are examples.
Applications currently exist for cable TV set-tops which allow the subscriber to program the set-top in a manner to cause its local VCR to record a particular TV program based upon Interactive-Program-Guide (IPG) information that is provided to the subscriber.
More specifically, it is conventional for the ITV system's headend to periodically broadcast IPG information or data for storage in erasable-memory that is within each of the set-tops that exist within the ITV system. For example, the headend may broadcast the 12 AM to 12 PM schedule for a particular date/month that falls on a Wednesday.
The set-tops are programmed, or controlled, to maintain this IPG data in memory during this date/month, while periodically discarding the out-of-time IPG material as time continues to pass throughout the day, perhaps keeping the last hours worth of old data.
For example, the set-top's locally-stored IPG data contains one-day, seven-days, or perhaps fourteen-days, of the programming that is available on all channels that are within the ITV system, both broadcast programming and on-demand programming. In addition, it is conventional that as the program-content that is contained within this one, seven or fourteen-day period changes, the headend sends an IPG-data-update for local set-top storage, replacing the out-of-date and prior-stored IPG data for this particular one, seven or fourteen-day interval.
Individual subscribers, or users, may call-up or retrieve this locally stored IPG data for display on the screen of their local TV set. This visual display usually comprises a horizontal/vertical matrix of individual program boxes, wherein each program box contains program information relating to one individual TV program. Within this IPG graphic TV display, an upper and horizontally extending boarder contains time-slot interval information wherein time intervals progress to the right of the display. This time-slot information is usually shown in half-hour increments. The downward extending and left-hand boarder of this IPG graphic display contains the individual TV channel identification of the cable TV system.
This general type of IPG data display is well known to those of skill in the art. For example, one day TV programming data of this type is normally contained in daily newspapers.
A manual-control-means is provided whereby a user can scroll in both a horizontal and a vertical direction through the TV display of the one, seven or fourteen day period, as is desired by the user.
With this IPG data visually displayed on the TV screen, the user may manually position a cursor or the like in order to select the program box of one present-time program for present-time viewing on the TV set.
In addition, the user can cursor-select one program box of a future-time program, thus enabling the future-time VCR recording, thus enabling a more future-time TV viewing of that particular program. Usually, each set-top is provided with eight VCR-record-timers, to thereby enable up to eight future-time programs to be selected for VCR recording.
A manual-control-means is also provided that enables a user to display the content of all eight VCR-record-timers on the user's local TV screen. When so displayed, the user can cancel or change the content of any particular VCR-record-timer, as desired.
User-alert-messages are provided by a set-top for current-time or future-time display on the user's TV screen. For example, should the user attempt to program a ninth future-time program for VCR recording, a user-alert-message is displayed on the user's TV screen. The user may then cancel a prior programmed VCR-record-timer, or the user can abort the attempt to program this ninth future-time program.
An example of a single program IPG data entry that is displayed on the user's TV screen may be a form of the following; "2701, Roseanne, channel 5, 8 to 9 pm". The "Roseanne" and "2701" portions of this IPG data is contained within a cursor-selectable program box on the TV screen. The "channel 5" portion of this IPG data is provided by virtue of the fact that the cursor is positioning on the horizontally extending channel identifier for channel 5. The "8 to 9 PM" portion of this IPG data entry is provided by virtue of the fact that the cursor is positioning on the vertically extending time interval identifier for the 8 to 9 PM time period.
The above-noted item "2701" is not only a generic program identifier for all episodes of the serialized program "Roseanne", but in addition, this identifier "2701" can be modified to contain information as to the specific episode of the program "Roseanne" that is to be broadcast on channel 5 in the 8 PM to 9 PM time interval. For example, such an identifier may be in the form "2701.23".
In order to program one of the set-tops VCR-record-timers to contain the entry "Roseanne, channel 5, Wednesday, 8 to 9 PM", the user merely presses a control button associated with the cursor as the cursor is positioned at the corresponding program box.
Within this IPG data TV display, the item "2701" (in its binary equivalent) also serves to identifies the remaining content of the IPG data entry. Thus, the user can also program the VCR to record this program by entering the four numbers "2710" by way of the user's IR remote control. This four-number entry operation will also operate to program of one of the set-tops VCR-record-timers to contain the entry "Roseanne, channel 5, Wednesday, 8 to 9 PM".
When the Wednesday 8 PM time-to-record arrives, the set-top is automatically controlled to present channel 5 as an input to both the associated VCR and the associated TV. The set-top also automatically communicates a begin-recording message to the VCR, for example by using an infra-red (IR) VCR remote control emulating device, sometimes called a VCR blaster. In this manner, VCR recording of the desired program "Roseanne", having program number "2701", begins. One hour later, when the time 9 PM arrives, the set-top is controlled to automatically communicate a stop-recording message to the VCR.
In some instances, the requested program "2701, Roseanne" is delayed, or the requested program "2701, Roseanne" is cancelled. In these situations the future-time recording request to record this program should either be moved to a new time-slot, or the request-to-record should be cancelled.
The above described format for IPG data is not critical to this invention. More generally, program-data of this type comprises a number of individual data-items. Each data-item operates to identify one individual TV program, the channel on which the program will be broadcast, the time-slot during which the program will be broadcast, and the date/day on which the program will be broadcast.
A need remains in the art whereby the occurrence of a program-delay event, or a program-cancel event, results in automatically changing a future-time recording request to contain the new and correct channel, and/or day, and/or time-slot, or alternatively results in an automatic cancellation of this particular future-time recording request.